Love Him Back

What's the first thing you look for when you enter a town? Most likely, it's a gas station or a restaurant or a particular store. My Dad's eyes always went to the skyline because he was looking for a church steeple. After Jesus' exciting entrance into Jerusalem, Scripture tells us the first place He went was to the temple. As worship leader, I often find myself alone in the church sanctuary - what a peaceful place, a particularly reverent spot to listen to The Lord. Jesus did not find this to be the case as He entered the temple grounds; instead He found money changers and merchants. Jesus rebuked the chaos, "It is written in Scripture, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer' but you are making it a robbers' den'" (Matthew 21:13, Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11). Why was Jesus so drawn to the temple? Within mere days Jesus would face the most difficult part of His mission to earth - the arrest, the mock trials, the beatings, the betrayals and rejections, the pain and suffering, the loneliness, the cruel agony of the cross ... death. Ephesians 5:25 tells us "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." It was His people that drew Him to the temple in those final hours; it was His people that led Him to the cross! The idea that we can love Jesus and not love His Church doesn't line-up with the deep love Jesus has for His people. Dad loved people but especially Church people! Oh, if we could but understand God's love toward those for whom Jesus died, I feel sure we would ... love Him back.

Pleasure Ground

One of my favorites as a girl was Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."  The castle, ballroom dancing, king and queen, the prince ... oh, yes - the prince!  I suggest [as Believers] we fail to consider The Throne of Almighty God. One Puritan prayed says, "Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul." It seems we find our "pleasure grounds" in much more unsubstantial and shallow places. Let's not forget Isaiah's glimpse into God's throne room: "In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple ... and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'" (Isaiah 6:1, 4-5 ESV). Perhaps the great tragedy among God's people is our loss to recognize and acknowledge the greatest of our King; hence, the passionate pursuit for other pleasure grounds of the soul. Well, what Isaiah reported of  the Throne Room remains true. "A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD." (Jeremiah 17:12). Let's settle, be still, know God Who longs to inhabit the hearts and praise of His people. The Presence of our King ... our pleasure ground.

Simply Surrendered

The actor, Jim Nabors, gave us lots of laughs as Gomer Pyle but I don’t recall anyone laughing when Jim Nabors sang!  His singing voice in no way resembled his speaking voice.  God cares deeply how I match up. That is, am I in private what I am in public?  Oh, that we all were real through-and-through, never a need to weigh real against pretense. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that … simple.  Paul wrote, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”  (2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV)  Devout & pure motives, simple godly sincerity – what a state-of-being!  In front of our local high school once stood a sign with these words: do the right thing.  Simple and profound - a whisper of The Father to my own oft fickle heart. O Lord, give me a humble heart ... simply surrendered.

Spiritual Grit

Grits are great! My Granny taught my Mama who taught me who taught my boys how to make grits. The recipe has been “tampered” with by adding this-and-that so there’s some debate who makes the “best” grits but nonetheless ...  grits are great! God is never in a hurry. We, on the other hand, are seldom patient!  Have you noticed the more unpleasant the circumstances, the more impatient and whinier we grow? Most of us just don’t do well in God’s greenhouse yet it’s where great spiritual growth occurs as we surrender to His sovereignty in quiet and peaceful and obedient patience.  Oswald Chambers makes this observation: “If we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself but only in His blessings.” Perhaps it's true: Believers are more interested in what God can do and give instead of the awesome Creator and Redeemer and King that He is!  When we persevere [by God’s grace], the spiritual hammering produces (like Christ) that “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2).  Oh, how we need spiritual grit!   Grit is produced by pounding, and we [Southerners] love the taste of that coarsely ground and pounded corn.  Yeah, yeah, I know not everyone appreciates a good bowl of hot grits, but [oh my] how the world needs to see God glorified when His Children persevere by patiently waiting upon The Lord.  Let’s take a breath, step back, and put forth some spiritual grit to the glory of The Father!

Optimum Best

Yesterday we had our heating-cooling system serviced. We were not surprised to see the collection of dust-debris-etc that had accumulated through seasons of use. It brought to my mind how much I need the cleansing power of God's Word in my life! The psalmist wrote, "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalm 119:11 KJV). Oh, I want to say that with all the confidence of the psalmist! I fear I've hidden too many other things - polluting, unclean things - that have (like my heating-cooling system) have junked-up my heart. Believers' hearts need continual cleansing and God has given us the means: "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever." (Psalm 12:6-7 ESV). What a foolish notion God's children have in thinking they can know closeness to The Father (pure and holy) when our hearts are full of sin and impurities! Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth writes, "Your progress in holiness will never exceed your relationship with the holy Word of God" (The Quiet Place). The Word of God is life-giving and life-sustaining for those who belong to Jesus. I'm happy to say our system is now clean and working at optimum best; in the same way, hearts cleansed and minds transformed by The Word of God will always honor Jesus at ... optimum best.